Mikeys Lesson
by Pistachio lover
Summary: So this is kinda my Christmas story of the year! It is filled with alot of fluff and family times...in this story Mikey is way younger then his brothers and is simply trying to be a good little brother, what can go wrong with that, right? Answer: everything.
1. Present Crisis

_**Merry **_late_** Christmas everyone! As a present to you I have made a bit of a Christmas story/family/life lesson/a bunch of fluff story! Hope you enjoy! **_

"You're going to love the present I got you this year Mikey!"

"Mikey I can't wait till you see the present I got you!"

"Knuckle head I think you're going to flippout when you open this!"

A six year old Mikey stared at the three huge presents under a twenty year old fake christmas tree that was still in decent shape.

The things about the massive presents that his brothers said refused to leave his head. All three of the presents were labeled 'to Michelangelo' and each present belonged from his three older brothers and although Mikey was excited he was also sad. He hadn't any money and would not have a single cent any time soon, he sighed as he got up and walked to his room.

'What am I supposed to do? I have to get my brothers something...' Mikey thought to himself.

As soon as he sat on his bed his stomach grumbled, 'Great I'm poor, presentless, and now I'm hungry.' He trudged out of his room and to the kitchen, opened the fridge and found a juice box in the pack of 24 that Don had bought strictly for him, had something to do with daily nutrients. Mikey didn't really understand Dons language he knew he wasn't alone he would sometimes see flashes of frustration or pure confusion on Raphael or even sometimes Leonardo's face.

Mikey pulled a chair over to the counter and climbed up to the cabinets to see what junk food he could smuggle to his room without his brothers seeing. As he pulled out a half bag of chips and some little debbie cakes he quickly shut the cabinet and carefully climbed back down to the safety of the chair he had dragged over.

As he was about to step off the chair he heard someone nearing the kitchen, in his haste Mikey ended up missteping and falling off the chair all together.

As he fell his head caught the stoves corner and hit it hard, he rubbed his head and groaned, the person that had been nearing the kitchen could be heard running now. Sure enough Raph appeared in the kitchens doorway, he ran over to Mikey and crouched down.

"What happened Mikey?! Were you trying trying to climb to the cabinets again? What did we all tell you about that?"

Mikey looked down, his eyes now glassy with tears. "You all told me not to...I'm sorry...I was just so hungry!" Mikey winced and held his head, it didn't go unnoticed by Raph.

"I understand Mikey, just come to me next time and I'll get right up to get you some food..." Raph caught glance of the bag of chips and debbie cakes. "Course...I'll proly get you some real food when you ask."

Mikey giggled but once again cringed.

"Mike did ya hit your head or land weird when you fell? What hurts?"

Mikey pointed to his head.

"Hmm...looks like you're going to need to visit Dr. Donnie!"

Mikey grumbled, "is he ganna stick a popsicle stick down my throat again?! I'm not going if he is."

Raph chuckled, "you're in luck, I don't think he'll have to do that this time around."

Mikey breathed a sigh of relief. "Good." As he tried to get up he found that the room was suddenly spinning. "Raphie? Are we spinning?"

Raph looked down in concern and scooped Mikey up in his arms. "No lil bro, no we're not. Hey Donnie!" Raph half shouted trying to keep semi quiet for Mikeys sake. Don looked up in question as Raph entered the lab with Mikey in tow. "What happened?"

"Well...I was headin' towards the kitchen and I heard a big thump, I ran and found Mikey on the ground, he was trying to get his own food again."

Donnie sighed, "Mikey what did we tell you about that?"

Raph chuckled, "don't worry he already got tha lecture from me. Oh, I think he hit his head kinda hard. He asked me if the room was spinning when he tried to get up."

Don nodded, taking in all the information. "Alright... Mikey can you raise your head up? Thank you...hmm his eyes are a little dilated but not to bad. Mikey how bad is the pain? Can you scale it for me?" Don asked as he snatched the poster that he always used to help Mikey pick which number. Mikey pointed to the moderate pained face. Don nodded, "I assumed so...it's not too bad to where it's serious but just in case...Raph can you keep him up for the next half hour or so?"

Raph thought about declining but shrugged instead. "Yeah sure, me and Mike haven't got to chill in a while and he needs someone to stay up with him."

Don smiled and then gave Mikey a bit of liquid pain medicine. "There ya go Mikey, Raphie is going to play with you for a little while ok? You're not tired at all ri-" Don was cut off as Mikey jumped from the examination table and wobbled to Raph as quick as he could. "Come on Raphie! Oh! Thank you Donnie!" Don smiled warmly as Mikey took hold of Raphs hand and lead him to the his room.

Once in Mikeys room the little turtle had Raph sit and gave him a justice force action figure and set a box of legos in the middle of them. "We gatta build a fortress for Silver Sentry Raphie! We gatta hurry though, the bad guys are ganna break in whatever we have built soon!"

Raph smiled and started building decent looking house where as Mikey started throwing legos together. After about twenty minutes Mikey and Raph connected what they had both built together, what they built resembled that of a cruise ship/hotel/battleship.

Mikey was more then happy with it, as the minutes passed the game got to become old leaving Mikey and Raph sitting on the couch in the living room watching cartoons. Raph looked over and saw Mikey starring at the presents under the tree, the young turtle almost looked...sad as his gaze intensified. "What's wrong Mikey?"

"Hm? Oh...well it's just that you and Leo and Don all got me great gifts it sounds like and I can't get you guys anything."

Raph put his arm around Mikey and pulled the little turtle close. "Mikey it's ok! You're little, you don't have to worry about it, you're not supposed to hafta worry!."

"Yea...but you and the others are still little to! Master Splinter told me so."

Raph smiled, "well sure we're still little but your littler. You're six and we're seventeen, that's a whole 11 years difference Mikey!" Raph looked down to see if Mikey understood but found that the young turtle had already curled up against him and went to sleep. Raph checked the time and saw that he had actually been hanging out with Mikey for the past two hours!

He chuckled, it didn't bother him a bit he was happy to get the rare alone time with Mike. He carefully picked Mikey up and carried him to his bed, once there he covered Mikey with his orange bed comforter and turned his little justice force night light on. "Goodnight Mikey."

The next day (two days before chritmas) Mikey decided to lock himself in his room and work on four special Christmas cards for his brothers and sensei. Around twelve he heard Leo knock on his door and call for him, he sounded concerned.

"Yes Leo?" Mikey asked as he cracked his door open.

"Hey buddy, we haven't seen you all day! You feeling alright?"

Mikey smiled to show he was fine. "Never better Leo! I'm just working on a little...project!" With that Mikey shut his door quickly and got back to work on his second card, meanwhile Leo was rubbing his head trying not to be to concerned as to what Mikey was planning. He dropped it and decided to put a little trust in his baby brother.

Meanwhile Mikey grinned as he sprinkled green glitter on a scribble of a Christmas tree he drew, beside the tree stood two green circles on top of each other. The top circle had a red stripe going across, the bottom had a little yellow rectangle on the green with stick arm like limbs holding weapons that looked like forks.

With a final touch of glitter Mikey marveled at his creation, Raph would for sure love it, about two cards later Mikey was finally done, he got up and stretched then slid his cards safely under his pillow. As Mikey headed out his door he immediately ran into all three of his brothers who scooped him up and took him to the lab.

As he was seated on the examination table he looked up at his three elder brothers confused. "Did I do something wrong?"

Raph chuckled, "nah Mikey Donnie is just ganna check how ya head is doing. You've acted kinda weird today and we just wanna be sure it isent serious. K?"

Mikey nodded grinning.

As Don checked Mikey over he concluded with a clean bill of health. Mikey was perfectly fine, Mikey could tell his brothers were suspicious as to what he had been doing. 'Better act normal or I'll have to tell em what I've been working on!' Mikey thought as he kept getting strange stares. "Leo! Can we go watch t.v.? I know your favorite show is on!"

Leo smiled, "now that's the Mikey I know! Sure." Leo lifted Mikey off the table and walked with him to the living room. When Leo flipped to his channel he groaned in frustration, sorry Mikey I forgot about this, there having some kind of kiddie Christmas series on today.

Mike laughed, "let's watch it!" Leo was about to decline but he saw the excited gleam in Mikeys eyes, he caved. "Alright, but just one episode!" Mikey clapped and turned back to the t.v. twenty minutes later Mikey looked over to find Leo fast asleep.

Mike sighed and decided not to watch the rest of the half hour show, he went to his room slowly, as soon as he shut his door he slid down to the floor and started to sob.

The episode was set on Christmas day and a little boy that was his age was making very nice Christmas cards in Mikeys opinion. The next day the little boy gave the cards to some of his older high school friends on the bus. The teens acted like they loved them when the child gave them the cards but as soon as he got off the bus the three teens he had made them for laughed and threw them out the windows of the bus. Later that day in recess the little boy actually found them stuck in the elementary schools fence when he was snowball fighting. The child was heartbroken, and so was Mikey.

Michelangelo spent the rest of the day in his room until around seven this is when he came up with a new plan, a dangerous one. He gulped as he snuck out of his room and to the exit of the lair, taking one final look around he turned and ran for the nearest man hole he then climbed it and cautiously made his way out into the blizzard like weather.

The alley he was in was dimly lit yet it was in the more populated part of New York, he peaked his head around the corner of the alley and surveyed the area he was in. As he looked around something caught his eye, a crane machine.

It was in front of a deserted store, the machine was filled with all kinds of cool things! Mikey smiled and tried his best to stealthily get to the machine. He frowned when he looked down at his feet, they hardley cooperated when he was trying to move, he shivered as a gust of freezing cold wind swept across him.

When he finally made it to the machine he saw that in order to get the prizes inside he would have to pay. Of course he had no money, he became very angry and kicked at the snow. As he was about to retreat back to the lair he found a rock and threw it at the brick wall of the store that the machine was in front of in anger.

He gasped as the rock ricocheted and hit the machine, the glass of the left side immediately broke and a siren started to sound. Although the siren wasn't loud it still alerted Mikey,as he was about to turn and run he realized that he would no longer have to pay! He could just take, and he did.

He took four little stuffed animals, a watch, and a small pillow that had a gold crown printed on it. Mikey could barely feel his hands but he managed to grab all of the things he wanted. After he got everything he quickly ran back to the safety of the sewers and hid his remaining goodies in a hole in the wall right outside of the lair's entrance, he was the only one who knew about it, he took pride in the hidey hole.

As he entered the lair he suddenly felt very tired and slow, soon enough he started to see little black dots in his vision, then they turned into patches then, before he even knew it, he was on the ground.

His vision was completely dimmed now and he was struggling to breath correctly. He let out a whimper as he kept feeling worse and worse by the second, as his vision actually started clearing up a little he saw someone round the corner of the living room, it was the only view he got from laying on his side.

"MIKEY?!"


	2. Lesson Learned

**Aaannnddd continued... yea, I thought it would be a bit much to put all of the story in one chapter...force of habit to split it all up I guess!**

"MIKEY!"

"Mikey what are you doing laying on the floor like that?"

Mikey tried to make a sound but he couldn't.

"Mikey? It's not nice to play jokes like this Mike. Mikey?" As Leonardo walked closer he saw that Mikeys face was that of pain. "MIKEY?!" Leo quickly ran over to Mike and knelled next to him, as soon as he put a hand on him he found that the small turtle was freezing. "M-Mikey! You're bleeding!"

Leo saw gashes on Mikey's arms and hands and neck, he immediately picked Mikey up and brought him to Dons lab. Raph caught glance as Leo ran through the living room, he followed suit as well. Don gasped as Leo and Raph burst into the lab, Leo layed Mikey on the examination table and stepped back for Donnie. "L-Leo? What-how did this happen?" Donnie asked as he checked Mikeys vitals.

"D-Don I really have no clue! I found him like this right in front of the exit of lair."

Don examined Mikey and found all the problems. "He has moderate hypothermia, has many small scratches on his hands but on his neck and arms there's big gashes that, strangely enough, have glass in them!

"M'sorry D-Donnie...didn't...mean t-to...honest." Mikey immediately started to violently cough. Don and the others held him down so he wouldn't actually fall off the small examination table. Don kept shushing him as he tried to talk more and more as he was coughing, finally the small turtle got a hold of himself.

"Mikey...we're going to have to give you a really warm bath ok?"

Mikey was to weak to nod at this point.

"Lets go guys he's not getting any better like this." Don stated as he and Leo lifted Mike up, Raph ran ahead to get the water ready. Once in the bathroom Don and Leo lowerd a shivering Mikey into the tub, at first he was panicked but after a few minutes of reassuring by his brothers and small shoulder rubs he finally stopped fighting.

After about ten minutes Mikey was then lifted and brought back to the lab where he received five blankets and was forced to drink hot cocoa. After he got half his cocoa drank Don had his utensils ready.

"Mikey...I'll ask questions later about all this, right now I'm going to need to get the glass out of your injuries...it's going to hurt...bad."

Mikeys eyes already held tears, "o-ok."

Don took a breath and started on getting the first shard of glass out of a rather bad gash on Mikeys lower neck, then he got the remaining glass out of a gash on his left shoulder and right lower arm. Mikey had been quite the trooper through the whole procedure. "Done. How you doing Mikey?"

"It stings Donnie, but just a little."

Don nodded and got out small gauze pads that he put on the the three gashs he had cleaned of glass. Then he put a few band aids on the worse for wear scratches. Don gave Mikey some liquid pain killer and then sat next to him.

"Where did Raph and Leo go?"

Don smiled a bit, "well Mikey I told them to go get some sleep it's going to be a long day tomorrow! It's going to be Christmas eve! We have barely decorated, in fact all we have done is put a Christmas tree up!"

Mikey clapped but then realized something, "I'm going to be ok tomorrow, right?"

Don nodded, "yea we can decorate that night so you can rest up all day."

"All day?" Mikey groaned. "That's boring."

Don shrugged. "Sorry Mikey...how did all this happen little bro?"

Mikey looked panicked, "I can't tell...I did something bad Donnie! I...went..topside..."

Don sighed, "I suspected so...you were really cold Mikey, what did you wear out there?"

Mikey looked at Don in confusion. "Um...was I supposed to wear something outside?"

Don gave Mikey a look of surprise and utter anger. "Mikey! You ALWAYS wear a jacket and scarf and gloves and any other warm article of clothing you can find! You could have gotten really really bad hypothermia and would have been trapped outside!"

Mikey looked down in sadness and guilt. "I'm sorry...I knew it was cold but I've never been topside in really cold weather..."

Donnie sighed and sat next to Mikey, who was still buried under blankets on the examination table, "it's alright Mikey I know you haven't had much experience topside...but you know good and well that you shouldn't have gone up there."

Don took a strong hold of Mikeys shoulders and the two looked each other right in the eye. "Its really dangerous up there Mikey, if anything really really bad had happened to you...none of us could live with ourselves...what made you go up alone Mikey?"

Mikey panicked again and thought of something he had always wanted to see when topside but his brothers never let him. "Well...um...I wanted to see the snow Donnie! I barely ever get to see it! It was really pretty...I didn't leave the ally! I stayed up there too long and then when I went back down under I tripped walking back and landed on a broken bottle."

Mikey felt horrible but thanked himself inwardly, he normally stunk at lieing but tonight was somehow different. He knew he had to keep there presents a secret so he had to keep it very believable, even if he felt terrible for lieing to his older brothers.

"Well Mikey...huh...the next time you decide to go see the snow or even want to go topside! Just come get me."

"Or me" Raph chimed in coming into the lab.

"Or me!" Leo also said as he walked in.

Don growled. "You two are supposed to be getting some rest!"

The two shrugged and sat by Mikey, soon all four brothers fell asleep, Mikey on the examination table and his three brothers with there heads on there arms on the table.

The next day Mikey woke up with the same horrible cough, thankfully he got nothing more.

"You got lucky considering how long you were up there." Don stated as he listened to Mikeys heart.

Leo and Raph peaked over his shoulder trying to survey what all was happening.

"So I can help today?!" Mikey coughed.

"Yea...just take it easy."

The rest of the day went as planned, the four brothers decorated the whole lair. At the end of the day everyone was exhausted and gnawing on a slice of pizza. Mikey still had his bad cough but was still just as happy, he had snuck off for about an hour through the day and wrapped all of his brothers presents and put them under the tree.

He had given Leo, Raph and Don a stuffed animal and Master Splinter a stuffed animal and the small pillow. The rest of the family had soon noticed the presents but said nothing of them, they just smiled and passed them by.

The next day came very fast and at 6am that morning Mikey was already jumping on Raph yelling, "ITS CHRISTMAS RAPH!" He did the same with Leo and Don, normally he would have gone to Splinter first but the night before Master Splinter stated that he would be back the next afternoon, he had to go visit the ancient one for Christmas.

As each of the older brothers were jumped on and shouted at, they woke up quite unpleased but they couldn't be mad on this day! So they simply went to the living room and sat with smiles.

Mikey happily gave them there presents, when they opened them they all gave Mikey a big hug.

"Wow Mikey! This is so nice of you! How did you get the money for this?!"

Mikey looked down in sudden realization. 'Oh...my...shell...I stole...they were for money...I guess I thought since the machine was broke I didn't have to pay...oh no...I-I stole...I'm so stupid! How come I didn't think of that till now?!'

Mikeys family looked at him with concern as Mikey shuttered. "I-I...guys...I didn't mean to I swear! I-I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner..." Mikey then told them the real story of what happened except the part when he made them cards. "So there! I'm a horrible son and brother! I-I stole! Take the presents you got me away! I DON'T DESERVE THEM!"

Mikey then violently coughed till he was on his knees trying to catch a breath in between each cough he gagged out. He tried to push his brothers away as they came close to help him, he was too weak to really push them but he still tried.

Five minutes into the coughing fit Mikey's lungs started to burn more and more, his body ached for him to stop coughing, his breaths became more and more ragged. As he kept coughing his brothers grew more and more frantic, Leo and Raph pushed Mikey back against the couches side.

They kept there hands on his shoulder as Don came over with cough syrup, as soon as Mikey was semi calm with the coughing Don practically shoved the spoonful of syrup into Mikey mouth. As soon as it entered his mouth Mikey tried to spit it out, "d-don't want y-your help! M-My fault!"

As the coughing continued, Don was heart broken, Mikey had spit all of the liquid relief out and was coughing even worse now.

He couldn't stand it, the next time Mikey had a mini break in coughing Don got Leo and Raph to pin Mikey back onto the couch and tip his head back, Don took the spoonful of syrup and poured it into Mikeys mouth then put his hand on Mikeys chin and pushed up so there was no way he could spit it up.

Mikeys coughing subsided until it left completely leaving Mikey looking a mess. He was sticky with the cough syrup he had spit out earlier and had many tears were streaming down his face and dripping onto his legs most was from the coughing but some was from the guilt he felt, he was gasping for every breath he took.

It took a time to get him to finally calm down enough to talk. Raph and Leo still had a hold of him and Don was crouched in front of him, spoon still in hand.

As soon as Mikey tried to talk he sucked in a fast breath and deflated into himself, his arm now tightly surrounding his ribcage area.

"Whats wrong Mikey?" Don asked.

Mikey shook his head and stared at the ground. Don gave Raph and Leo a all knowing look, as soon as they saw this they both took hold of Mikeys head and tilted it upwards. Mikey had a grimace painted on his face.

"Mikey...are your ribs hurting?" Don questioned gently.

"N-no..." As Mikey said this Dons heart broke a little more, he got face to face with him a gave him a stern stare. "Mikey. What you did was by no means ok, and you know that now. But you have to understand that we still love you! Ok? It was really nice of you to think of us and get us presents but what you did wasn't the right way to go about it."

Mikey tried to look down both Leo and Raph wouldn't allow it, Don continued.

"Mikey...how about we go return this all? Would that help you feel better? I think it would be a good lesson for you."

Mikey smiled, "I w-would love that."

Just seeing Mikey smile made the other three grin. Don didn't budge from his place though...there was still more to be said.

"Mikey, we will go topside tonight when it's dark. Right now you are coming with me to the lab to get a check up! Then you can open your presents from us and we can all make a big meal for Sensei when he gets back! Sound good?"

Mikey nodded happily, as he tried to get up though he found that he was still shaky and very sore. His brothers caught on very quickly, "come on tough guy!" Raph said as he carefully scooped Mikey up.

Once in the lab Mikey was layed very carefully on the examination table, even as he was slowly layed back he cringed.

Don pressed gently against Mikeys ribcage and looked to Mike for how much it hurt. After the procedure Mikey was given pain medication and diagnosed with three fractured ribs.

"Alright so what's tha mean Donnie?" Raph had asked immediately after Don came out to tell them.

"Well...we just need to make sure he doesn't over do anything...and make sure we ask him if he's in any pain at times so we can give him more pain medication."

The two other brothers nodded. As Don was about to walk back to get Mikey a green and orange blur zoomed past. The three turtles looked to Mikey who was now at the tree sitting patiently.

Don shrugged and walked to the living room then sat beside Mikey, Leo and Raph did as well. As soon as they were all seated Master Splinter came through a portal right beside the Christmas tree. "Hello my sons."

They all smiled and replied with a "Merry Christmas Sensei!"

"I see that I am just in time! Is this for me Michelangelo?"

Mikey looked down and rubbed the back of his head. "Um...not quite sensei..."

Leo saw that Mikey was about to cry so he stepped in. "Well you see sensei..."

After a good ten minutes of careful explaining Master Splinter sighed. "Michelangelo, what you did was not acceptable, I understand you did not quite know this at the time. Now that we have all this settled...Michelangelo you shall go topside with your brothers tonight and return all the gifts you stole. You will also spend a hour a day the whole week with me next week, we shall meditate the whole hour each day."

Mikey nodded thinking he was getting off easy.

"You shall also do flips after our meditation for half an hour."

Mikey groaned and held his rib cage already in pain from the thought of doing flips, thankfully Don stepped in. "Actually sensei...there's more to the story...Mikey fractured his ribs earlier..."

"...And how did he do this my son?" Splinter asked turning to Mikey.

"Well...when he was telling us what he did he started to have a bit of a panic attack and his throat must have closed a bit and with that came another chain of events that made him cough really bad...in the end he got fractured ribs from it. Three to be in fact."

Splinter hummed in thought. "Very well...you shall meditate and do flips the week you are proclaimed better by Donatello."

Mikey nodded happily. After Mike opened his presents and the boys made supper and ate with sensei all three of the older turtles and Mikey went topside.

"Alright Mikey, this the place?"

Mikey nodded and ran towards the still broken down crane machine then carefully placed the things back in it. When he ran back he was enveloped in a hug by Don and the four retreated back to the lair.

Once there the whole family made hot chocolate and sat on the couch, Master Splinter passed out the stockings he had filled, they had many different chocolates and little presents from the Damyio and the ancient one and of course Master Splinter himself, in return the boys gave him a large stocking they threw there remaining money into.

As for Mikey...right before everyone sat in the living room he ran to his room to get the cards he had made them. As everyone was seated and given stockings he stood. "Its not much...it was my original gift to you guys...but I guess I was afraid that you wouldn't like it since I didn't buy it...here."

Mikey passed out the cards to everyone, as he stood and waited for laughter and jokes about the cards he instead saw warm smiles and felt his family pull him into a hug.

"Mikey it's perfect."

Mikey laughed at Leos comment in pure joy.

"Merry Christmas dudes."

_**The End**_

_**Once again, MERRY **_LATE_** CHRISTMAS! XD **_


End file.
